Even with Whitman's targeted, big-money backed push for women and Latinos, the poll shows Brown has 51 percent support from Latinos. Women also favor Brown over Whitman 47 percent to 32 percent.

Brown has an 8-point lead over Whitman, 44 percent to 36 percent, among likely voters, according to the survey. Men and white voters are split, the pooll found.

Brown campaign spokesman Sterling Clifford said the poll shows Brown's strategy of holding off on campaigning is paying off because many voters are only now tuning in.

"Jerry said from the beginning of this campaign, in the post-Labor Day period when people are paying attention, we'd be a lot more aggressive with Jerry's message of fiscal discipline of state government and growing the green economy," Clifford told the AP. "They like what Jerry has to say."

The gubernatorial race in this year's election is marked by weeks of nonstop attack ads on TV and campaign fliers flooding mailboxes throughout the state. But this poll shows Whitman's record spending on the campaign might not be necessary, after all. So far, she has spent $142 million of her own money and has raised nearly $30 million more from outside contributors for her campaign.

The poll has a plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for the 1,067 likely voters surveyed.